Last day in Dubrovnik...Walking the wall!

We mucked around all morning doing washing and catching up on emails and generally having a slower day.  We then went out about 1pm, walked to the old town, then caught the cable car up to the top where we sat and had lunch looking out on the view. It was beautiful. Compared with the old Town though, it was quite chilly up there on the hill!

After lunch we headed down to the old town again where Steven and I got the tickets for the walk on the city walls, and Rachel went to the art gallery to buy a painting.

We met at the art gallery then headed to the Port and wandered around there – which was lovely.  Very laid back and warm.  I was amazed at how clear the water was, even in the port.

It would have been very remiss of us not to do the typical star jump to remind us that we are tourists!

My two fellow photographers...

We waited until about 4pm to do the wall walk for two reasons. First, most of the tourists had gone by then, and secondly, it was much cooler!

At the start of the city wall walk, we found an oasis for stray cats.  Residents around the area have banded together to create this lovely area, full of plants, wicker chairs, blankets, pots, and even a sun umbrella for the stray cats to feel safe, looked after, and fed.  They even had built little homes for them.  Both Steven and I donated a few euros for this amazing oasis, and really pleased someone is looking after at least some of the strays of which there are many.  I got talking to a woman who is part of it and she told me 20 cats were using this area at the moment. Every morning and night they hose the whole area down with fire hoses to keep everything clean.

After climbing up heaps of steps, we are now on top of the wall looking at a completely different part of the Old Town!

Looking down below...

Walking on the above and people walking in the alleys below...

The Port is simply gorgeous...

Looking over the rooftops...

And into abandoned buildings...

Looking up the main thoroughfare, and down on the main square...

 More abandoned buildings...

The wall...

I had thought the ruins had been part of the war in 1991, but on asking, I found that they had happened in an earthquake in April 1979. Reconstruction had halted during the war but are now starting again.

Steven and I were a bit slower and lost Rachel, but we found her at the bottom of the wall waiting for us - lost in internet heaven....

 My last image makes me laugh. I photographed that door on my first day, but I was with other photographers who were just as keen as I.  I don't think the photographers wife looks very patient!

I am so impressed with Dubrovnik. In 1991 during the offensive, 11,425 buildings in the region sustained damage; 886 were totally destroyed and 1,675 sustained damage. The cost of the damage was estimated at 480 million Deutsche Marks. Damage to the Old Town of Dubrovnik was observed by a UNESCO team which stayed in the city from 27 November until 20 December 1991. It was estimated that 55.9% of buildings were damaged, that 11.1% were heavily damaged and 1% were burnt down. Seven burnt Baroque palaces were the greatest losses. Additional damage was caused by the JNA troops looting museums, businesses and private homes. The Franciscan monastery of St. Jerome in Slano was also targeted. The JNA admitted that looting took place, but Jokić said the property would be distributed to Serbian refugees by a special JNA administration set up on 15 December 1991. It is probable, however, that the looted property ended up in private homes or was sold on the black market.

Following attempts to justify the JNA offensive, authorities in Serbia and Montenegro tried to deny damage to the Old Town. Radio TV in Serbia said that smoke rising from the Old Town was the result of automobile tyres set on fire by the population of Dubrovnik. According to a 2010 survey of public opinion in Serbia, 40% of those polled did not know who bombarded Dubrovnik, while 14% believed that no shelling occurred. In a June 2000 meeting with Croatian President Mesić, the President of Montenegro Milo Đukanović apologized to Croatia for the attack. The gesture was welcomed in Croatia, but it was condemned by Đukanović's political opponents in Montenegro and by authorities in Serbia.

If you take a look on Google of some of the images of the damage of the Old Town back in 1991 and then compare them to what you see from my images today, the reconstruction has been a huge job and very successful. I hope it never happens again as it's a beautiful place.